


In Five Years Time AU

by when_you_know_you_know



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-01
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-27 03:00:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 21,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15015197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/when_you_know_you_know/pseuds/when_you_know_you_know
Summary: Beca and Chloe have been best friends since college. After graduation they moved into a tiny studio apartment with their best friend Fat Amy. Two years later they embarked on a USO tour with their old collegiate acapella group The Bellas. As luck would have it, Beca was offered a recording contract and Chloe had been accepted into Vet School. Upon returning home from the tour, Chloe asked Beca out on a date, and Beca agreed, but only when Chloe had finished her degree…in five years time…





	1. Return From the USO Tour/The Promise... (2017)

Beca and Chloe let out sighs of relief as they approached the door to the stuffy little studio apartment they rented in Brooklyn. Chloe steadied Beca’s suitcase with her free hand while her best friend got her keys out of her jacket pocket and began unlocking their apartment door, shunting it open with her hip - a trick they’d learnt when they’d first moved in a couple of years ago.

“I can’t even  _begin_  to tell you how happy I am to be home!” Beca exclaimed with a dramatic groan as she threw herself face first onto the fold-out bed that she and Chloe had been having to share for just over two years now. But Chloe didn’t respond, instead opting to wheel both their suitcases through the front door and gently close it behind her.

This return to their home was a bittersweet moment. Yes it marked a return to familiar surroundings for them. A return to the place they both called home. A return to the place that Chloe had been living in while she’d fallen deeper and deeper in unrequited love with her best friend over the couple of years they’d been sharing a fold-out bed. A return to the place they would soon have to move out of, because Chloe was going to Vet School in Davis CA, and Beca would undoubtedly have to move to LA to make good of that recording contract she was due to sign at the end of the week. Then that would be it. The end of the ‘dream life’ that Chloe had been living in.

“Remind me to never protest again when you insist on making our bed with fresh bedsheets before we go on holiday..” Beca mumbled happily into the bedding, inhaling the fresh laundry smell. Chloe looked over at her best friend with a small smile. But her heart was breaking. She didn’t want this to ever end. She wanted to spend the rest of her life curling up in Beca’s arms or vice-versa in front of Netflix. She didn’t want to stop coming home to her..

“Hey.” Chloe jumped as she realised Beca had turned from the bedding to look at her with a furrowed brow, “What’s going on?”

“Oh um..” Chloe struggled to find any words that might be the truth, so instead she forced a nervous smile onto her face, “..n-nothing! It’s..it’s nothing..I’m nothing!” She winced slightly at how stupid she was sounding, so turned on the spot and began making her way over to their tiny kitchen, reaching for the two clean coffee mugs that she’d specifically left out for them before they left for their USO tour, ready for when they arrived home. “Coffee?” she asked brightly, though she noted the way her voice had croaked slightly when she’d said it and she hoped Beca hadn’t noticed.

But she heard Beca scrambling up off their bed, “Chloe..” and Chloe began to panic a little, because she’d known the woman for seven years, and she knew that tone Beca used. So the redhead began hastily preparing their little coffee machine, knowing just how Beca always had her coffee. “Dude, wh-…what’s going on?”

“Nothing! I just…” Chloe began, stuffing Beca’s mug under the coffee machine, not daring to look at her best friend, “..I’m just jet-lagged.”

She noticed out the corner of her eye Beca slowly approaching her. Chloe’s heart was beginning to race a little faster as she stared intently at the stream of hot coffee that ran into Beca’s mug. She couldn’t tell her. She couldn’t ask her. She just  _couldn’t_.

“You were thinking something.” Beca said with an air of caution while Chloe pulled the completed coffee mug from the machine, placing it to the side while she prepared her own coffee. “What were you thinking?”

Chloe swallowed loudly as she stuffed the coffee pod in the machine, “I-It was stupid.” and she shoved her mug in the machine just as a flow of hot latte began streaming down.

“What have I told you about saying that..” Beca said quietly, clearly becoming worried. Chloe stared at the flowing coffee. Beca had told her on so many occasions to never describe what she was thinking or doing or saying as ‘stupid’. Because those things were what made Chloe the woman she was. And Beca had told her on so many occasions that she liked the woman Chloe was. And that she didn’t deem any part of Chloe stupid. Which hadn’t help Chloe with the whole ‘falling deeper in unrequited love with her best friend’ situation that was for sure.

“Chloe..what were you thinking?” Beca repeated, and Chloe felt her heart thudding against her chest so hard she thought it was going to burst out of her chest. So she shrugged, then turned to look at her best friend who wore a very concerned expression as she faced her, clearly trying and failing to read her mind.

Chloe took a deep breath then just went for it, “Did you want to go out on a date with me?”

It was as though time had stood still, the studio apartment falling silent save for the hum of Brooklyn traffic that came through the shitty old windows. Chloe had held her breath, her heart still hammering away and her stomach tied in a tight knot. She couldn’t believe she’d done it.  _Finally!_  After seven long years of pining and yearning for the chance to ask her best friend out, she’d finally done it! And Chloe felt alive and rejuvenated and-

“No.” Beca said honestly, and Chloe’s heart sank.

“Oh..” God she felt stupid. That was it. What could have potentially been a lovely couple of weeks of them spending their final moments living together as best friends before they both moved away were all now ruined by Chloe’s stupid feelings and stupid ideas and stupid impulses. “Right..yeah..” Chloe forced a smile on her face, shaking her head slightly while she screwed her face up awkwardly, “..no of course! I was..” she turned to look back at her coffee that had just finished pouring, her body feeling numb with embarrassment, “..I-I was only joking! A stupid..” she let out a sigh, “stupid joke.” she finished quietly.

“Chlo..” Beca said in a soft voice, and Chloe was almost certain she could hear a smile in that voice, which only made the reality of this situation all the more heartbreaking. Because Beca found this  _amusing_. “Chloe look at me.”

The redhead turned her head, hating that tears had already tainted her eyes as she looked at her best friend. But to her surprise Beca wasn’t laughing. She didn’t look like she planned on laughing either. She was just looking at her with an  _affectionate_  smile on her face. And Chloe’s lips had parted, but she didn’t mimics the smile on Beca’s face. She just stared. Waiting nervously for what Beca was about to say next.

“I want to date you.”

Chloe’s heart skipped a beat and, because she knew her best friend so well, she  _knew_  Beca wasn’t joking. So why had she said no??

“I want to marry you and buy a house with you that we make our home. And I want to have kids with you. And a dog. And I want us to grow old together.”

A small smile had slowly crept onto Chloe’s face, her breath caught in her lungs she was so stunned at Beca’s revelation. There was a ‘but’ coming though, Chloe could sense it.

“But,” there it was, “I don’t think now is the right time to be doing that.” Chloe opened her mouth to protest but Beca held a hand up to stop her. “I was thinking about it on the flight home so just..hear me out..”

“Okay..” Chloe choked out quietly, trying to keep her impending tears at bay.

“You’ve worked so hard to get into Vet School. I don’t want to distract you from becoming the awesome Vet that I  _know_  you’re gonna be. And especially now I have this  _crazy_  recording contract I’m gonna be away in LA so much and..I dunno touring and stuff so…” Chloe’s stomach dropped with nerves as Beca paused, and the redhead feared her best friend was reconsidering having had this conversation with her at all. But instead the brunette stuffed her hand into her pocket.

“..so I say we wait for you to finish Vet School. And if, after those four years-“

“-five.” Chloe corrected, feeling guilty when Beca’s expression wavered.

“-five years.. F-five? Are you sure?”

“‘Fraid so.”

“Right, okay..” Beca cleared her throat, taking a deep breath to compose herself, then straightened her posture, looking honestly at Chloe, “..if after those  _five_  years you still want all that with me, then I promise to take you out on a date.”

A smile swept across Chloe’s face, “Promise?” she asked quietly, and her eyes widened in surprise as Beca pulled out a small box, holding it out to her with a soft smile.

“Promise.”

Chloe looked up from the box as her best friend raised her eyebrows at her and shrugged. So the redhead reached out and took the small box, letting out a beaming smile when she opened it and saw a beautiful ring inside. The one she’d cooed over at the little market they’d visited with The Bellas in Italy. She’d been so disappointed when she and Aubrey had returned to that stall only to be told that the ring had already been sold.

“It’s nothing much but..I want it to symbolise my promise to you. The promise that I’ll wait.” Beca said nervously and Chloe looked up at her best friend, still smiling brightly as happy tears fell from her eyes while Beca raised her eyebrows seriously, “I’ll wait for you Chlo. I’ll wait the five years.”

Chloe nodded slowly, letting out a huge sigh of relief. Because she  _hadn’t_ been an idiot. Asking Beca on a date really had been a good idea after all. And so what if it meant that they had to wait five years? Chloe had waited seven years to be able get to this stage with Beca. What were a few more years huh? At least she finally knew that there was a light at the end of the tunnel. And that light being the knowledge that she  _was_  going to spend the rest of her life with her best friend. She was one day going to kiss her. They were one day going to get married and have children and a dog and live happily ever after.

“I just need you to promise me one thing in return.” Beca said, holding her index finger out at Chloe and the redhead hesitated, a curious smile on her face.

“You work fucking hard at Vet School. Because I swear to God, Beale, if you purposely fail your exams-“

Chloe began laughing loudly while Beca spoke with a large grin on her face.

“-just so you can stay in college for  _another_  three years, on top of the five years you’re already condemned to do, I’m NOT going-“

And Chloe threw her arms around Beca’s neck, giggling and squeezing her tight while her best friend wrapped her arms around her waist to strengthen the hug.

“-to be happy! I mean it Beale!”

And the two women sighed happily as they stood in their tiny studio apartment, hugging, thrilled at the prospect of their eventual future together.


	2. The Phone Call/"I Miss You" (2018)

“Hey” Chloe said softly, smiling as she held her phone to her ear, settling back on the double bed in the little studio apartment that she  _still_  lived in, even though Beca had insisted she’d be happy to pay for her to have a nicer one in the same area of Brooklyn. But Chloe loved how quirky it was. And it really  _had_  been the best kind of home for them over three years after graduation that they’d both lived there with Amy. Now it was a year after that and it was still the place Chloe considered home. Still the place Beca always returned to after her long stints away in LA. 

“Hey.” came the equally soft response from Beca on the other end of the phone, “What you up to?”

Chloe pulled a few strands of puppy fur from her jumper and flicked it onto the floor beside the bed with a tired sigh, “Oh nothing much. Just laying on our bed. Talking to you.”

“I’m nothing much huh?” Beca said in a teasing tone, and Chloe giggled loudly. She adored the evenings that Beca called. They spoke every day on WhatsApp. They sent constant selfies and observations on Snapchat to each other. But they only spoke on the phone every couple of days or so. It depended on Beca’s schedule and the time difference between New York and LA.

“You’re  _everything_  much!” Chloe exclaimed between her giggles, “You’re…” she slowed her giggles then let out a calm sigh, “…you’re everything.” she finished quietly. 

It had been almost a year since they’d returned from the USO tour that they’d gone on with The Bellas. Almost a year since Chloe had finally plucked up the courage to ask Beca out. Almost a year since Beca had briefly broken her heart by saying no. Almost a year since Beca had assured her that she  _did_  want to date her, but only once Chloe had finished Vet School. That way the redhead would have no big distractions. And she could become the very best vet that Beca knew she would be.

So with that promise, Chloe had begun knuckling down hard, studying well, attending every class, contributing to each session. Meanwhile, Beca had been working hard in LA, writing and recording. Pouring her thoughts and feelings and emotions down onto paper and into her music. And both were eagerly anticipating the end of the long five years they had ahead of them while Chloe studied to become a vet. They were both crazy about each other, and they no longer had any reason to hide it from each other. But at the same time they remained patient, both looking forward to Chloe’s graduation day, when they could finally start dating one another. When they could finally become official. When they could finally kiss.

“I miss you..” Beca said quietly into the phone with a sigh, and Chloe tucked into the foetal position on their bed, holding her phone to her ear, trying to absorb all the warmth of Beca’s arms that might be coming down the device and into her body. 

“I miss you too..” Chloe said quietly with a sigh to match Beca’s.

Yeah it was a year on, but it didn’t make having to sleep in this bed alone any easier. Chloe found her thumb smoothing over the index finger ring that Beca had given her before she’d gone out to LA the first time. 

“Don’t suppose you’ve had any thoughts about where you might want to go on our first date?” Beca asked hopefully, trying to change the tone of the conversation, and a smile grew on Chloe’s face. 

“Umm…I’ve no idea.” she said honestly, “So long as I’m with you I don’t mind where we go! Have you had any thoughts about it?”

“Well I’m thinking in four years time I’ll have made at  _least_  a million so…a cute cottage in the middle of the Sicillian countryside maybe?” Beca said casually and Chloe let out another giggle.

“Wow, no Chipotle then huh?” she joked, knowing full well that her best friend  _hated_  Chipotle.

“Oh God could you imagine?? All that money and I treat the love of my life to Chipotle on our first date?!” Beca said in a disgusted tone then Chloe could sense the woman’s sudden pause. Because Chloe had heard her say it too. Beca thought of her as the love of her life?

A soft smile grew on Chloe’s face and she bit her bottom lip before replying, “Yeah you’d be lucky to get a second date I can assure you of that.” and it appeared to be enough to break any potential tension that could’ve arisen following Beca’s Freudian slip.

“Good job I wont be taking you to Chipotle then.” Beca added quietly and Chloe could  _hear_  the smile on her best friend’s face. God, she couldn’t wait to go out with her. She couldn’t wait to be able to call Beca her girlfriend. To be able to kiss and cuddle and make out with her. One year down, only four to go!

“Beca?” Chloe said quietly down the phone, then took a deep breath and whispered, “I love you..” 

“Chloe?” she heard her best friend say quietly down the phone back to her, whispering, “I love you too..”

And the two best friends lay on their respective beds, their respective phones to their ears, giggling while they started reminiscing about this time last year when they’d been on the USO tour with The Bellas.


	3. Grandma (2018)

“Hello?”

Chloe looked up from her book on ‘Puppy training’, pushing her reading glasses up onto her head as she glanced over from her position on the couch in Beca’s LA apartment. Her best friend had paid for her flight over to California to visit for the week, both having missed living together since Beca had signed a recording contract and Chloe had started vet school last year. Beca still paid the rent of their little studio apartment in Brooklyn, Chloe having said that it had been ‘home’ for almost 3 years that it didn’t feel right moving out of it just because Beca could suddenly afford a more expensive apartment in Brooklyn if Chloe had wanted. The brunette spent a good 2/3rds of her year in LA in a recording studio. The other 3rd was spent in Brooklyn. The time she called ‘down time’, chilling out with Chloe, when her best friend wasn’t at school of course.

“Right..” Chloe heard Beca say quietly into her phone, pausing her stirring of the coffee she was adding sugar to. She could tell something wasn’t right. Beca’s face seemed to have fallen. Colour had drained from her face. And she appeared to be taking a deep breath between words.

“Right um…okay then…”

Chloe placed her book down quietly and sat up further on the couch, holding her breath. Whatever news Beca was getting, it wasn’t good.

“yeah I…I’ll book a flight now…”

The redhead watched as Beca hung her head with a sad sigh, “yeah…o-okay Dad…yeah…bye.”

Chloe continued to hold her breath, twirling the rings on her index fingers while she watched Beca end the call to her father. The brunette let out a heavy sigh, then stared down at the two coffees she’d just made.

After several moments Chloe tentatively asked, “Is everything okay?” and her stomach twisted when she watched Beca shake her head gently.

“My grandma just died..” the woman croaked quietly.

Chloe’s heart sank. She knew Beca hadn’t exactly been close to her family, but at the end of the day, a death was a death. And she knew her best friend would still feel some sort of loss.

“God, Beca, I…I’m so sorry!” Chloe said quietly, not really knowing what to say. Knowing that nothing she could say would help matters.

Beca turned to lean against the work surface of her plush open-plan kitchen/lounge, shrugging sadly, “S’okay. It was only a matter of time I guess..”

Chloe stood slowly from the couch, and made her way cautiously over to her best friend. She stopped a foot away from her, and her heart broke as she watched Beca look up into her eyes, a sadness within them. There was only one thing Chloe knew how to do in times like this, and that was hug the person hurting.

So she stretched her arms out, and without any further prompting, Beca wound her arms around Chloe’s neck. The redhead held her best friend tight, becoming aware of the way Beca would let out heavy sighs from time to time. And they stood in the kitchen of Beca’s swanky LA apartment for a good fifteen minutes, in complete silence, holding onto one another tight.

“Will you come with me to the funeral?” Beca asked quietly in Chloe’s ear, and Chloe didn’t even have to think twice.

“Of course I will.”


	4. Song Dedication (2018)

“Chloe,  _please_ , you  _have_  to believe me!” Beca said before letting out a heavy sigh of frustration, leaning her forehead on the palm of her right hand while she leant on the arm of the couch in the dressing room that had been reserved for her. She was on the UK leg of her promotional tour. It was her debut record, only nine months into her career with Khaled’s label, and only year one of the five years that both Beca and Chloe were going to spend waiting for Chloe to finish Vet School. Once qualified, they were  _finally_  going to start dating.

In the meantime, both were busying themselves with work, trying to distract themselves from the torment of being madly in love with one another and truly committed to their future relationship, without actually being able to see each other very regularly. It had clearly got too much for Chloe, who Beca had essentially ‘left behind’. The redhead was left to continue about her samey day to day life while Beca got to travel the world and go from city to city - keeping busy and distracted that way.

But recent rumours were taking their toll on the two best friends. Rumours specifically of ‘Beca Mitchell’ dating Zac Efron, a handsome actor around Beca’s age, promoting his new movie that required him to attend TV and radio interviews that just so happened to be at the same time and place as Beca’s. Beca being Beca meant that she’d just ignored the rumours, rolling her eyes if ever they came up in conversation. But from the sounds of things, Chloe wasn’t quite so relaxed about the situation - particularly as she was so far away from the brunette.

“Look, I get it Beca, I really do!” Chloe exclaimed down the phone, sounding shriller by the second, “He’s tall and handsome and  _so_  good looking-“

“-are you secretly wishing  _you_  were rumoured to be dating him?” Beca dared to interrupt, her frustration building. Because no, she  _wasn’t_  dating Zac Efron. For one thing, he was a dude. And for another thing, and most importantly, he  _wasn’t Chloe_. “Because you’re more than welcome to, if you want me to give him your number?” she joked.

“Oh, so you’d be alright with me dating someone else instead of staying here waiting for you to come home to me??” Chloe snapped back and Beca furrowed her brow.

“You  _know_  that’s not what I meant!” Beca argued, ignoring her entourage who came into the dressing room to let her know she needed to make her way over to the TV show’s green room.

“No, but what I  _do_  know is that you were very openly flirting with that female radio host yesterday!” Chloe yelled, a dip in her voice that Beca knew meant that the redhead had started to cry. And Beca rolled her eyes. She had  _not_ been flirting. She’d just found the woman  _very_  funny. It  _had_  been a comedy radio talkshow anyway.

“Oh come  _on_  Chloe. Her??” Beca scrunched her nose up. Had she even  _seen_ the radio presenter? Yeah the woman had been funny, but again  _she wasn’t Chloe_!

“Yes. Her.” Chloe replied with a bit of a sob, and Beca felt her stomach knot. Why was this so difficult?  _Why_  did Chloe not believe her? “I googled her and she’s  _beautiful_!”

“Oh my God, Chloe,  _stop_!!” Beca motioned for her entourage to leave the dressing room and they did so reluctantly, closing the door behind them. “Stop being so ridiculous!”

“I-I’m not being ridiculous!” Chloe shrieked back down the phone causing Beca to let out a little growl of frustration.

“You  _are_! Look, yes I’m surrounded by attractive people for a lot of the time, but none of them,  _none of them_ , are as beautiful as you, Chloe!” Beca said firmly, her free hand clasping tight as she fuelled her anger into that action. “I love  _you_. And everything about you!”

“So you  _do_  admit that the people you’re with are attractive!” Chloe snapped back down the phone.

“ _That’s_  what you took from what I just said??” Beca said with an exasperated huff. “Not the beautiful bit.”

“Beca, I’m  _not_  beautiful! I’m not special. I’m not  _anything_!”

“You  _are_  beautiful!!” Beca quickly responded, bringing her free hand to her forehead again, squeezing her eyes closed while she had to endure hearing Chloe crying down the phone to her. This was the worst.

“You stick to your happy, amazing, wonderful world where everyone is in love with you and I’ll just stay here in my crappy little world, with no hope and no pleasure and no love.” Chloe blubbed.

“But Chloe I  _do_  lo-“ Beca began but she stopped as the call quickly ended. This was the hard part of having to sometimes deal with Chloe’s anxieties and insecurities. Anxieties and insecurities that escalated the further apart they were from one another. The redhead said a lot of things that she didn’t mean, but she’d never ended a call before the conversation had finished. And they’d certainly never argued like this before.

“Beca?”

The brunette turned and looked at the door. Her publicist had opened the door and was now peering around it.

“You’ve got 2 minutes until you’re on camera.”

And Beca was left with no choice but to switch off her phone with a sigh before following her entourage through to the green room.

* * *

Two days. It had been  _two days_  since Chloe had last spoken to her. Beca had kept trying to call her but they’d been going to voicemail. Beca had kept messaging her on WhatsApp and  _knew_  Chloe had read them thanks to those two blessed blue ‘ticks’. But her best friend hadn’t replied to one of them.

The knot in Beca’s stomach had grown tighter and tighter over time. But with no other possible way of getting hold of the redhead due to her location and the fact that she  _couldn’t_  just drop everything and get an immediate flight over to Brooklyn, meant that Beca was becoming more and more miserable with each passing hour.

“Why don’t you dedicate a song to her or something?” Aubrey had suggested when Beca had called her, figuring if anyone would have heard from Chloe it would be the blonde who had been best friends with Chloe since their late teens.

So that was what Beca had decided to do. She’d assessed the list she’d been sent in advance by the UK radio station ‘BBC Radio One’, of the possible covers she was allowed to pick to perform. And her eyes had immediately picked out ‘What Makes You Beautiful’. It was what Chloe needed to hear. And she needed to hear the lyrics far more clearly than the original by One Direction.

So she’d texted Chloe one last time, just as she arrived at the Broadcasting House:  _I’m on BBC Radio 1 at 11.30am here (6.30am for you - just when you’re getting up for work) and the song I’m covering I’m singing to you xx_

“So what made you choose this cover?” the presenter asked kindly on air at 11.50am, a big beaming smile on her face, and Beca cleared her throat nervously.

“Uh. Well I stripped back the song and looked at the lyrics and…well my best friend back home has a fair few insecurities about her appearance and I just wanted to be able to let her know that she doesn’t need to feel that way because she’s beautiful no matter what and…yeah…that’s kinda why.”

Beca scratched the back of her head awkwardly. Was that okay for her to say? Did it perhaps reveal too many of her deepest desires for Chloe? Did it reveal to this specific nation that she was in love with her  _female_  best friend? Only time would tell.

“Ohh that’s lovely! Alright well, when you’re ready, take it away.” the presenter said kindly, and Beca took a deep breath as her band began the opening to the song. It was calm and romantic, as though more of a ballad than the upbeat original had been.

##  **You’re insecure,  
** **Don’t know what for.  
****You’re turning heads when you walk through the door.**

##  **Don’t need make up,  
** **To cover up.  
****Being the way you are is enough.**

##  **Everyone else in the room can see it.  
****Everyone else but you.**

##  **Baby you light up my world like nobody else.  
** **The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed.  
** **But when you smile at the ground it ain’t hard to tell,  
** **You don’t know.  
****Oh you don’t know you’re beautiful.**

##  **If only you saw what I could see,  
** **You’d understand why I want you so desperately.  
** **When I’m looking at you and I can’t believe,  
** **You don’t know.  
** **You.  
****You don’t know you’re beautiful.**

Beca stepped back from the mic to allow one of the members of her band to play a short solo on his electric guitar and she took that time to recompose herself. She hadn’t expected to feel as emotional as she did, but then she’d never really sung a song for anyone before. Chloe, however…well Chloe meant the world to her. She was  _everything_. And Beca was certain her heart hadn’t ached as much as it had over the past couple of days.

The brunette let out a short quiet sniff to try to retain the tears threatening to build in her eyes. She’d thought the years she’d spent secretly pining for Chloe while sharing a tiny studio apartment with her had been difficult. But now she knew that Chloe reciprocated her feelings and that they’d both agreed on just how much they meant to one another (and that they were essentially  _betrothed_  to each other in a funny sort of way), Beca found being away from Chloe difficult enough without the redhead blanking her. She hoped Chloe had a way of hearing this performance.

##  **Oh c-come on,  
** **You got it wrong.  
** **To prove I’m right I put it in a song.  
** **You’re acting shy,  
** I don’t know why.  
**I can tell by the look in your eyes.**

Chloe sat up in bed, her knees tucked up to her chest. Her eyes drawn to her laptop. And on the laptop was a live video on the ‘BBC Radio 1’ website. A live video of Beca performing a cover of One Direction’s ‘What Makes You Beautiful’.

She’d seen Beca’s text the second it had come through, having not really been able to sleep much overnight. She’d not slept much in a few days actually. Her anxiety had kept her awake, constantly doing sums in her head of what time it would be where Beca was in the world, and what the brunette might be doing. Who she might be with. It had made her feel sick.

But then Beca had openly said on air that this song was for her. She hadn’t said her name, but Chloe  _knew_  it was for her - after all Beca’s final text had said it was. And the version of this song was so romantic and beautiful and Chloe immediately felt guilty about the way she’d been acting towards Beca this past week.

Jealousy had got the better of Chloe. She  _hated_  that there were people in the world that got to see Beca more than she did. She loved Beca deeply and missed her more than anything or anyone. She missed the way they’d used to share a bed, cuddled up together on cold nights. She missed the Netflix binge they went through, often missing meals because they were so engrossed in whatever show they were watching.

Chloe missed Beca. Simples. And she didn’t know how the next four years could possibly be okay between them, waiting for her to finish Vet School, if they missed each other this much already. What if they didn’t make it?

##  **Everyone else in the room can see it.  
** **Everyone else but you.  
**   
**Oh baby you light up my world like nobody else.  
** **The way that you flick your hair gets me overwhelmed.  
** **But when you smile at the ground it ain’t hard to tell,  
** **You don’t know.  
****Oh you don’t know you’re beautiful.**

Tears were falling down Chloe’s cheeks as she saw the anguish in her best friend’s face while the woman sang. She’d hurt her bad. And Chloe had never ever wanted to be the cause of Beca’s pain. Ever.

Her heart skipped a beat as she noticed Beca look straight into the camera as she sang.

##  **And if only you saw what I could see,  
** **You’d understand why I want you so desperately.  
** **When I’m looking at you I just can’t believe.  
** **You don’t know.  
** **You.  
****You don’t know you’re beautiful.**

Beca squeezed her eyes shut, imagining the look on Chloe’s makeup-less face having probably just woken up to hear this. She missed the way Chloe looked first thing in the morning. Her thick red hair sprung at all angles. Her warm breath on Beca’s neck while they tucked into one another. She missed those simpler days.

##  **You don’t know you’re beautiful.**

The song wound down to a peaceful end and Beca finally opened her eyes, trying her hardest not to cry. She stepped back from the mic and forced a modest smile onto her face as she motioned to the radio presenter.

“Wow.” was all the presenter could say, “That was… _amazing_. So moving and I don’t think I’d ever appreciated the lyrics that much before now.”

Beca leant towards the mic again, “Yeah they kinda say all I need to say, you know?”

“Definitely!” The presenter agreed, “Thank you so much for coming on the show and performing for us.”

“Thanks for inviting me.” Beca replied and the presenter then went on to explain to her listeners what was coming up on the show in the next hour.

Chloe rubbed her running nose with a loud sniff, then reached out for her phone. She needed to speak to Beca. She needed to apologise for how shit she’d been. But she called and called and called to no answer. So with a heavy heart, Chloe had got ready for school, and headed out of her studio apartment for the day.

* * *

Ten hours later Chloe returned home with a heavy sigh. She’d texted Beca several times to apologise and had seen on WhatsApp that her best friend had read them. But Beca hadn’t replied once. And Chloe had felt sick at the thought that Beca was actually getting back at her for having not replied to all of  _her_  texts over the past couple of days. Now she knew how Beca had felt. Except…Chloe had no way of singing a song for her on national radio to apologise.

The redhead’s heart skipped a beat as she stepped through the door into the apartment and saw Beca stood in the middle of the room, still dressed in the very clothes that she’d been dressed in during her radio performance earlier that day. She looked exhausted, and as though she’d been crying.

Neither of them said anything. Instead Chloe immediately dropped her school satchel from her shoulder and darted towards her best friend. Beca also surged forward. And the two best friends threw themselves into each other’s arms.

“I’m  _so_  sorry.” Chloe sobbed, tears now filling her eyes as she felt the warmth of Beca’s arms around her neck. “I was being a total idiot. I just get engulfed in stupid jealousy because I miss you so much.”

“I miss you so much too!” Beca insisted with a mumble into the woman’s thick red hair, squeezing Chloe tight.

“And being left here I just always feel out of the loop. Like I don’t know what your life is really like because I’m not really in it beyond these four walls!” Chloe confessed, and Beca let out a loud sniff, pulling her arms from around Chloe’s neck and leaning back slightly. It hadn’t occurred to her that Chloe felt left out of her life. After all, to Beca, Chloe was  _everything_. It was just a shame they couldn’t prove it to the world just yet. Because Chloe was only just coming to the end of the first year of her five year degree. They still had four years to go.

She looked deep into Chloe’s bright blue eyes and let out a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry.” Beca mumbled with another sniff, “I figured you wouldn’t want to see how shit my work life is. And I hadn’t wanted to taint your image of me by seeing just how frikkin’ stressed I get before doing publicity things.”

Chloe revealed a small smile, her arms still around Beca’s waist, “I’ve genuinely seen you at your most vulnerable, Beca. When you’re asleep? No make up on. Hair standing up on end. Bad morning breath.”

Beca gave Chloe a playful nip on the arm with a slight grin, “Heeey! I’ve seen you like that too, little miss perfect!”

“Exactly.” Chloe said softly, tears no longer in her eyes, “So there’s nothing that could possibly taint how I already see you.”

They held one another’s gaze for a few moments, then Beca took a deep breath, “Go back over to London with me?”

Chloe’s eyebrows rose, “W-What?”

“I’ve got to take the soonest flight back to London to finish the final leg of this press tour. You don’t have class tomorrow or this weekend. Come with me!” Beca said with a shrug as though it were the most simplest way to solve Chloe’s worries. “You said you don’t know what life with me is really like beyond Brooklyn. Well, now’s your chance, Chloe.”

Chloe stood in stunned silence for a few moments then a smile grew across her face, “Alright then.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah!”

“Awesome!” Beca said with a big grin, letting go of her best friend and making her way to the apartment door.

“Uh, Beca?”

Beca turned on the spot and looked over at Chloe, “Yeah.”

“I need to pack first.”

A grin wiped over Beca’s face again, “You only need your passport, your door key, and your phone, Beale. Everything else I can buy you at the airport or once we get to London.”

And Chloe couldn’t help her eyebrows raising with pleasant surprise before scrambling to reach under the bed, pulling a metal tin out and picking out her passport. She then patted her own back pocket to check her phone and keys were still there, before turning back to Beca with a slightly awkward expression, “Um..maybe I should at least get changed? I mean you look amazing and I look-“

But Chloe ended her sentence the second Beca reached out and grabbed her hand, tugging her towards the door, “-you look  _beautiful Chlo. Come on.”_

And the two best friends made their way out of the apartment block with light giggles, bundling into the private car that was waiting for them out the front, to drive them to the airport and over to London via private jet.


	5. Plus One/VMAs (2018)

“Heeey!” Chloe answered her phone brightly, having seen her best friend’s photo pop up on the screen. She held it to her ear with her shoulder while she continued mixing a birthday cake that she was taking over to Flo’s in the morning. “Everything ok?”

The redhead stood in the kitchen of the tiny studio apartment that she lived in alone, but that Beca rented - the younger woman having had a brilliantly successful first year as a solo recording artist last year, earning her hundreds of thousands of dollars in a very short space of time.

“Hey! Yeah..um..” the brunette went quiet and Chloe thought she could hear down the phone the sound of Beca shutting herself in a quiet room, “..Yeah I need to ask you a question. And I get it if you don’t want to, that’s cool..”

Chloe stopped mixing and furrowed her brow. Beca sounded nervous. She never sounded nervous when she spoke to Chloe. And suddenly Chloe felt concerned, “Beca what’s going on..? Is everything alright?”

“Yeah! Uh..” and Beca exhaled heavily down the phone, “I just found out I got nominated for a VMA and I’m kinda freaking out a bit and-“

“-Beca that’s AMAZING news!!” Chloe interrupted, dropping the mixing spoon into the bowl with a loud ‘clang’. She heard Beca chuckle.

“Thanks Chlo. You’re the first person I thought of when I found..”

“Of course..” Chloe said with a shrug and a grin, continuing her mixing, loving the sound of Beca’s chuckle again. She missed her so much. And  _hated_  that she was still away in LA for another five weeks. Thank God for FaceTime..

“So I wanted to ask you a question..” Beca said somewhat nervously, and Chloe giggled.

“Yes of course I’ll marry you.” She said jokingly, “But you didn’t need to go out of your way to be nominated for a VMA to ask me Becs..”

“Ha. Ha.” Beca replied sarcastically. Because they’d joked about it before. Well..kinda joked. Like, they’d agreed they would start dating once Chloe had finished Vet School. And the Christmas after they’d agreed that, they’d kinda drunkenly agreed that once they did start dating then that would be it. Forever. They would be together forever. In it for the long-run. Marriage. Kids. The works.

“Chloe I wondered if you’d go with me to the VMA’s..as my ‘plus one’..” Beca said nervously. Chloe dropped the spoon for a second time.

“Like…a date??”

“Uh..no..no I’ve got bigger and better plans for our first date than walking up a red carpet together in front of hundreds of paparazzi..”

A smile swept over Chloe’s face. Ugh  _why_  wasn’t it 2022 yet?? The sooner it came the sooner they could start dating properly!

“So..will you?” Beca asked nervously, Chloe’s pause clearly having been too long.

“Yeah of course I will!” Chloe said, picking up her mixing spoon again.

“Great. Well it’s in a couple of weeks so I guess I’ll be seeing you sooner than we first thought!”

Chloe cheered in a sweet voice, causing Beca to chuckle. And both women began chatting excitably about what they could get up to once Chloe had arrived in LA..


	6. Instagram Followers.. (2019)

“Oh my God!!”

Beca looked up from her phone with a furrowed brow, turning to look to her right, at her best friend who sat-up in bed beside her. It was morning in Beca’s LA apartment, two years on from the end of their USO tour, nine years on from first meeting at Barden University. And two out of five years into Chloe’s training to become a vet.

It was New Years Day and Chloe had spent the whole of her Christmas break from vet school with Beca in LA. They were best friends. And since Beca had had to move to LA for work, they’d missed living in each other’s pockets. Missed sharing a bed.

When they’d got back from their USO tour back in 2017, Chloe had asked Beca out on a date. Beca had said no, then explained that although she did truly want to go on a date with her, she didn’t want the subsequent romance to distract Chloe from her studies. But that she’d absolutely be waiting for her when she graduated. That was two years ago. Two years down only three to go. They hadn’t kissed or gone on a date. But they  _did_  talk  _every_  day. They  _did_ cuddle. And they  _had_  given each other promise rings, at Christmas. Not necessarily as an engagement. But as a promise that even though they were apart for a lot of the year, they were bound to one another, and would eventually be united properly.

 _“I want to date you. I want to be your other half. Your partner. I want to marry you and have kids with you and a we get a gazillion pets that you’ve rescued through work. And I want to make you happy. I want to spend my life with you Chloe Beale. And I will start it as your girlfriend the second you graduate. I’m not going anywhere, Chlo. I’ll be waiting for you.”_ was what Beca had said. And both women had burst into tears, giving each other their promise rings. Still they didn’t kiss. But they’d hugged for a very very long time. On this very bed.

“What’s going on?” Beca asked curiously.

“I casually posted a photo from yesterday of you picking out those oranges.” Chloe said as she stared down at her phone screen in disbelief.

“Oh boy..” Beca said, sitting up a little straighter, “where did you post it?”

“Instagram..” Chloe said with a slight shake of the head, still in disbelief.

“And..”

“And i’ve woken up to 19,000 new followers. And that photo’s got 13,229 likes..” Chloe said, reading the numbers slowly, still stunned by the activity on her Instagram overnight. Beca merely chuckled. 19,000 followers wasn’t exactly the 1.2million that Beca had on Instagram, but then..Beca was a best selling recording artist..

“How many followers did you have before that?” Beca asked in an amused voice, leaning to rest her head on her best friend’s shoulder so she could look at her Instagram too.

“102..”

“Yikes Beale.” Beca said with another chuckle.

“I know! It escalated so quickly! I mean..I’m just..me!” Chloe said sweetly, and Beca felt her heart swell. She was so much more than ‘just Chloe’ to Beca. She was  _the_  Chloe. And she couldn’t wait to marry her one day.

“All I did was tag you in it..”

“Haha! That was all you needed to do babe..” Beca said as she slid out of her bed and began wandering out of the bedroom to make some coffee for them.

Chloe stared down at her phone, still in shock. What she had failed to mention to Beca was that she’d tagged the photo as ‘ _Grocery shopping is the best with this one_   _#bff #bestfriend #bellasforlife #oranges #love’_

And beneath that photo was hundreds of comments. Many saying how beautiful Beca was even in sweats and no make up in the middle of a grocery store. Many asking if they were dating. And many saying they would make a cute couple.

The top comment was of course from Fat Amy, who had simply put ‘ _Beca + Chloe = Bloe_  '

And Chloe swallowed loudly as she realised that particular comment had had over 1000 likes. She had no idea what sort of consequences would come from this. But she knew that only time would tell..


	7. Flash Mob - Beca's POV (2019)

Beca looked at her watch as she stood on the subway platform in Brooklyn. 6.22pm. If all went to plan Chloe’s usual subway home - and for this moment only, her  _personal_  subway - would be rolling into the station very, very soon. She looked ahead of her, down the length of the platform. She noted the musicians with their instruments waiting patiently for the signal from the subway driver, whose comms-link was connected to the station’s speakers. The driver was under strict instruction to inform them the second Chloe had got on the subway.

Suddenly Beca heard a familiar bunch of voices calling her name, and her heart began racing as she turned to see The Bellas all making their way down the platform. Oh God..

“Wha-?” Beca stuttered, clenching the bunch of sunflowers she had in her hand. The sunflowers she was going to give Chloe when the redhead saw her. “What are you guys  _doing_  here??”

“Are you kidding?” Fat Amy asked, pulling Beca into a tight hug, “The second you told Aubrey what you were planning did you  _really_  think we’d want to miss out on seeing it?!”

Beca was almost certain she’d heard one of her ribs crack the hug had been that tight, but as Amy stepped away from the embrace she realised she’d probably been overreacting - she was so nervous. Because today was Chloe’s 30th birthday. And she had told Chloe specifically that she wouldn’t be able to see her, having given her some excuse about her having to work. Which wasn’t an unusual thing for Beca to say because she worked so much over in LA. But the truth was Beca had spent the past ten months planning this very moment.

Chloe had babbled to her a few years ago - in their senior year of college - that her biggest dream would be to see a flash mob happen in person. She didn’t care whether she was the receiver of said flash mob or just a by-stander. But Beca was never going to let Chloe just be a by-stander. Because this woman was the love of her life. And ever since the two of them had returned home from their USO tour a couple of years ago they’d both agreed to start dating as soon as Chloe finished all five years of her vet training. Two years down. Only three years to go. In the meantime both women worked hard on their respective careers in their respective sides of the country. They spent any lengthy time off together. They spoke every day. They Facetime’d ever other day. And they were truly, madly, deeply in love with one another. But an agreement had been an agreement. So they both stubbornly accepted that they wouldn’t start dating until Chloe graduated, refusing to admit that they were  _technically_  in a romantic relationship with one another. They just hadn’t ever kissed. Or confirmed it to one another. Or anyone else in actual fact.

Beca had been squirrelled away planning, hiring a choreographer and director, casting, then rehearsing with the team of 100 people that were going to come together in two phases to help make Chloe’s flash mob dream a reality. And she couldn’t believe it would soon be over. Chloe had absolutely no idea.

The brunette’s original plan had been to kiss Chloe once she’d given her the flowers. Yes it was in front of these people. And yes it was in public. And yes it was three years before they were planning on doing it. But Beca knew it would be romantic and just what Chloe would want. And Beca wanted to give Chloe the world at some point in their lives, so starting with a surprise kiss was a good start. That was until The Bellas had turned up. Now she wasn’t so sure sharing her first kiss with Chloe was going to be quite so romantic with their best friends watching.

“Right well…if you guys wouldn’t mind standing back there,” she said, motioning to the far end of the platform, far behind where she would be stood, “like,  _right_ back there..” and the women all began walking backwards while Beca kept motioning for them to keep moving. Once they were far enough back she threw her thumbs up and they stopped.

Then suddenly a voice crackled over the station’s speakers, “ _Code Red”_ and butterflies began racing around Beca’s stomach. This was it. She ignored the mutterings of some of The Bellas commenting on how of  _all_  the code words Beca could’ve chosen, she chose such a dangerous sounding one, and instead the brunette stood up straight. She took several deep breaths. This was it.

The performers before her began making their way to their starting spots. Ready for the moment the subway rolled into the station. Ready for the musicians on the platform to start up where the musicians in the subway finished. And suddenly audio from inside Chloe’s carriage and the next one along began playing through the station speakers, and Beca swallowed loudly. She could only imagine the look on Chloe’s face, and the woman smiled.

Beca took one last look over her shoulder, noticing that Aubrey, Emily, Jessica and Stacie had already begun quietly crying. All The Bellas grinned at her and gave her supportive thumbs up. And Beca turned back to the performers in front of her. Those that were looking at her smiled. This was going to be  _so_  worth all the money and time she’d spent organising this. 

Chloe was worth everything.


	8. Flash Mob - Chloe's POV (2019)

Chloe stepped onto her usual subway carriage. The end one. The one people barely sat in. The one that would take her from the station closest to the Vet School she attended, through to the station closest to her home. Her apartment in Brooklyn.

She’d lived in that studio apartment for five years now. Three of those years had been with her best friends Beca and Amy. But following a stroke of luck two years ago Amy had come into a  _lot_  of money and had decided to travel the world. Around the same time Beca had been offered a solo recording contract, following the Bellas successful USO tour.

Beca had insisted she still pay the rent for their stuffy little studio apartment that she and Chloe still affectionately called ‘home’. But Beca wasn’t around much to live in it any more, the 27 year old spending most of her time in LA writing and recording new music. And Chloe desperately missed her.

The redhead took a seat in the carriage as the subway began moving and it surprised her to see it fuller than usual even though it was the exact time she always took the subway home on a Friday. She looked down at her phone, sad to see that the only contact she’d had from Beca today was a text that had read:

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHLO! I’ll FaceTime you later x

One text. She must be really busy! Chloe had read the text over and over again, smiling at how extra affectionate her best friend had become since they’d been spending more time apart. There had once been a time when they’d had to share a bed because their apartment was so small. Now that bed felt so empty without her..

But it wouldn’t be forever and Chloe knew that. Because she and Beca had agreed to start dating as soon as Chloe had finished her Veterinarian training. So in the meantime Beca spent the little free time she had in the year travelling over to Brooklyn to see Chloe and the little free time Chloe had flying her over to LA. And they wouldn’t kiss or be overly affectionate. But they would snuggle up in bed and watch Netflix, and chat, and eat take out.

And it was excruciatingly painful having to wait until she graduated, but Chloe had been surprised at how quickly the time was going. She was now 30! Today!

The redhead looked up suddenly when she heard a gentleman whistling a tune, loud and clear, amongst the ‘clack-clack’ of the subway. She knew that tune. It was from one of her most  _favourite_  movies: ‘La La Land’.

The man continued whistling the slow opening to ‘City of Stars’ and Chloe smiled, biting her bottom lip as she looked back down at her phone. She  _had_ to tell Beca about this. The brunette had  _hated_  ‘La La Land’. And she’d hated that Chloe had played the soundtrack on repeat for months after seeing it.

The whistling stopped and suddenly Chloe froze when she heard a piano being played from the far end of the subway to her right. A light bubbly positive tune. Her most  _favourite_  song from ‘La La Land’. The opening of the movie: ‘ _Another Day Of Sun’_.

In the next subway carriage along a brass band could be heard joining in with the piano and Chloe turned to her left to see that the carriage next to hers didn’t contain commuters but instead was filled with all manner of jazz musicians, the sound of their music coming through the window between the carriages. A broad smile swept across her face. Holy shit. Someone on her carriage was getting a flash mob!!

Chloe immediately looked to her phone to text Beca, having told her best friend for years that if she could have one dream in the world come true it would be that she could witness a flash mob in real life, no matter who it was for! Beca would probably send an ‘eye-roll’ emoji but Chloe didn’t care, she told her best friend  _everything_  no matter what it was.

But her attention was dragged from her phone as the woman sat opposite her began singing the opening lyrics to ‘Another Day Of Sun’ and Chloe grinned with encouragement as the woman looked around at the passengers surrounding her who were all smiling too.

To Chloe’s surprise the man sat directly beside her shot up to his feet and began singing the next part of the song, dueting with the woman who had also risen to her feet. Chloe felt giddy with excitement. Gosh she was right in the middle of it all! How exciting!

Then suddenly a woman who had been stood by the doors interjected with the next verse of the upbeat song. And Chloe wondered how many people in this carriage were a part of the flash mob. But within a matter of moments her question was answered when at least a dozen of the passengers around her, either sat or stood, began singing the chorus to ‘Another Day Of Sun’. Those that were stood, danced. Those that were sat down were tapping their feet to the jazz music that was being played in the next carriage along. And everyone was smiling.

But no smile was broader than Chloe Beale’s, who was still watching in delight and awe that of all the carriages they’d picked to perform this number, they’d picked hers! She felt so lucky!

Another dozen or so passengers had joined in by this point and an elaborate dance routine in a very small space was being conducted.

The chorus came to a close, the jazz musicians cut to a slight interval, providing one of the male passengers an opportunity to turn to Chloe and sing the next couple of verses, with the rest of the passengers singing backup. Almost like a Capella, save for the drums and piano playing either side of the busy carriage.

And all of a sudden it hit Chloe. That…there was the tiniest of chances that this flash mob…might be  _for_   _her_?!

A female passenger moves towards the man and sings the next verse to him, then they duet the next couple of verses, dancing together as they sang. And Chloe just sat there, a smile still on her face, her mouth still open in surprise, watching the flash mob before her.

The chorus came again with an almighty boom of noise, every passenger in the carriage except Chloe now singing and dancing while the jazz musicians in the next carriage along played the music to accompany them. The redhead didn’t know where to look, it was all so colourful and overwhelming.

The chorus came to an end, but the musicians continued playing, and Chloe knew this was the part of the song where there was a relatively long instrumental. The passengers continued dancing around her but to Chloe’s dismay she saw the subway beginning to slow. This was her stop. Perhaps this  _hadn’t_  been her flash mob after all..

And as Chloe placed her phone in her handbag and gathered it on her shoulder, she noticed two hands being held out to her. She looked up and saw the male and female passengers that had dueted at the beginning of the number holding their hands out to her with big smiles on their faces. And a massive grin swept onto Chloe’s face as she took them and allowed herself to be led off the subway through the open doors of her carriage, and onto the platform.

The jazz musicians had started coming out of their carriage to join a drummer, some violinists, and a woman with a flute, (all of whom had been out on the platform) and still performed with as much heart and soul as they had done on the subway. And to Chloe’s amazement, in front of her were about..100(?) people, all dancing to what looked like specific choreography as they moved to the sound of the music that was now being projected through the subway station’s speakers.

The male and female passengers that had led her off the carriage motioned for her to begin walking and walk Chloe did. Past the musicians who smiled and nodded at her. Between dancing grandmas and grandfathers. Around nimble young men and women. Dancers dressed in carnival clothing, cheerleader wear, army uniforms, everyday clothing..

Then suddenly they all stopped, along with the music, giving Chloe an encouraging look. And although she hesitated Chloe realised it was actually because it had got to a part in the song when someone sang a couple of lines unaided. And she realised they were expecting it to be her!

So Chloe cleared her throat and sang happily, pitch perfect, “When they let you down. The morning rolls around.” And everyone before her began singing the final part of the song, some singing “It’s Another Day Of Sun” and other’s accompanying with choral backup.

Chloe was overwhelmed, grinning from ear to ear as the people around her all danced and played music. Some motioned for her to keep walking and so she did, slowly, looking around her in delight at how talented everyone around her was.

Suddenly the dancers in front of her danced to the side to reveal one person stood a few feet ahead of her and Chloe felt her heart skip a beat. There, stood in her usual black skinny jeans and a dark blue vest top, with her favourite red plaid shirt, was her best friend.

Beca was grinning at Chloe with pursed lips, and Chloe shook her head in disbelief at all that was happening around them. But the brunette merely brought her hands up to shrug nonscelantly, as though this was no big deal. Chloe noted the small bunch of sunflowers in Beca’s hand, knowing they were for her, as they were Chloe’s favourite flowers.

The dancers carried on dancing, the singers carried on singing, the musicians carried on playing. And Chloe carried on slowly walking in a straight line towards her best friend. Mesmirised by the sight of her. Because Chloe was  _so_ in love with her, and this great birthday gesture hadn’t helped matters..

The song came to a grand end just as Chloe stopped in front of Beca, and the redhead couldn’t help the tears that suddenly fell from her face. She couldn’t work out what was the best part of all. The flowers, the flash mob, or the fact that Beca was here.  _Actually_  here. When she’d told Chloe she was away and couldn’t visit her for her birthday. Even though it  _was_  the redhead’s 30th.

“Happy Birthday Chlo.” Beca said with a calm smile, holding the flowers out, and Chloe took them with a coy grin, looking into Beca’s eyes. “I would kiss you,” Beca whispered, “but-“

“-I know I know, we had that deal that we wouldn’t take anything further until I finished vet school.” Chloe said kindly, reaching out and taking Beca’s hand, feeling slightly sad because this would absolutely be the most perfect moment to share their first kiss. For sure.

But Beca shook her head, “Oh..no that wasn’t..” and the brunette let out a small chuckle at Chloe’s surprised expression, “..I wasn’t thinking of that it’s just-“

“-JUST KISS HER ALREADY!” Came a familiar Australian drawl from far behind Beca, and Beca let out a small sigh, raising her eyebrows at Chloe who had begun to giggle, knowing now why Beca didn’t want their first kiss to be right here, right now.

“The Bellas are all here..” Beca finished in an apologetic tone, and Chloe peered over Beca’s shoulder, her heart soaring as she saw all the Bellas gathered together, watching them with broad grins on their faces.

“It’s okay..” Chloe whispered, and she smiled sweetly at her best friend who turned back to her, “..I’ve waited 9 years already. What’s another 3 huh?”

Beca seemed to hesitate, biting her bottom lip, as though deep in thought, and for the first time in a very long time, Chloe couldn’t work out what Beca was thinking.

So she watched in shock as Beca muttered, “Oh screw it..” before bringing her hands to cup Chloe’s face and throwing her lips onto the redhead’s lips. Chloe felt her entire body fill with life and hope and happiness as she wrapped her arms around Beca’s waist. And Beca must have indicated to the flash mob in some way because the musicians and singers all started singing and playing the final section of ‘Another Day Of Sun’ again.

But Chloe didn’t really notice, she was too busy grinning as Beca parted their kiss, tears in her own eyes as she smiled back at her.

“Best. Birthday. Ever.” Chloe said happily, and Beca gave her a wink before they were interrupted by The Bellas who had strode over to them to envelope them in an excitable tight group hug.


	9. USB Stick (2020)

Chloe stared down at the small box in her hands. It had just been hand-delivered to her by some private delivery firm. And there was only one person she knew who could afford such services who would send something to her address here on Verona Street in Brooklyn.  _Beca_.

Chloe had spent a second night in a row bawling her eyes out down the phone to her best friend, telling Beca how she’d failed one of her vet exams. She was  _sure_  of it. Because it had just  _felt_ as though it had gone terribly by the time she’d left the farm a couple of afternoons ago. Beca had tried to be sympathetic. Had told her over and over and  _over_  again that she was sure Chloe hadn’t failed.

The redhead had then begun crying hard because she missed Beca so much. The duo had agreed to start dating once Chloe had completed her five-year veterinary course, but with the imminent failure of one of her exams, the two years they had left to go had every potential of now stretching to three years. And Chloe wasn’t sure how much longer she could take being apart from the woman she’d been in love with for ten years. The woman who had confessed to her three years ago that she was in love with her too. And that it was because of this love that she was happy to wait for Chloe to finish University so Chloe would have no distractions from her studies and they could enjoy the rest of their lives together.

In the meantime Beca had become increasingly famous - and was now one of the most sought after recording artists in the world. Which only seemed to put a strain on the two women, who craved one another’s company at all times. The brunette was just  _so_  busy that she was away all the time working all hours of the day.

Beca had apologised to Chloe a million times down the phone overnight that she couldn’t leave her recording studio in LA to see her and snuggle up with her and just make her happy again. And Chloe had selfishly asked if Beca would mind just dropping everything anyway. Because she missed curling up with her. But Beca had said no.

That had been…ten hours ago, and now Chloe was staring at a small box. She’d not been expecting Beca to send her anything. So with some caution, the redhead pulled the lid of the box back and her eyes caught sight of a small note and a USB stick.

 _I recorded this yesterday and it’s going to be my next song release._  
Any time you hear it I want you to know that I’m singing to you.  
Keep going, babe.  
I love you.  
B xx

Chloe swallowed loudly, pulling the USB stick out of the little box, placing the box on the side before making her way over to her laptop. She switched it on and plugged in the USB, smiling as she saw a lone file pop up on the screen labelled **“ _[For Chloe](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fopen.spotify.com%2Ftrack%2F083Qf6hn6sFL6xiOHlZUyn%3Fsi%3Dz0AXFm8ARZ-Gu7U0fhbgDQ&t=MzU1YWY2MmFlYjY4MDRlNzU1NTAxMWY0MThmZTBkMDJiNGZjZjU5MCxyR2w4dUw1Yg%3D%3D&b=t%3AGxhuq-ZZP1NhGMU0I8Ne1A&p=https%3A%2F%2Fasweetmelodytrickling.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F173823780378%2Fhey-doc-i-was-wandering-is-there-any-chance-to)”_**

The redhead reached out for a pair of ‘Beats’ that Beca had bought her for Christmas last year (”Seriously, babe, they’ll change your life!”) and slotted them over her head, before sitting back against the headboard of large bed in the studio apartment and[ **pressing play.**](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DiQp1_GfDhwQ&t=MzVkMDVkYjc2NWM2ODdlZGEyMzJmNzg5Y2YzMDQ0NGVmMDJkNjNiZixyR2w4dUw1Yg%3D%3D&b=t%3AGxhuq-ZZP1NhGMU0I8Ne1A&p=https%3A%2F%2Fasweetmelodytrickling.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F173823780378%2Fhey-doc-i-was-wandering-is-there-any-chance-to)

## When all the tears are rolling down your face,  
And it feels like yours was the only heart to break.  
When you come back home and all the lights are out, ooh,  
And you getting used to no one else being around.

## Oh, oh, I’ll be there,  
When you need a little love, I got a little love to share.  
Yeah, I’m gonna, I’m gonna, I’m gonna come through,  
You’ll never be alone, I’ll be there for you

Tears began welling up in Chloe’s eyes as she felt every single word that Beca sang, looking around the apartment before her. She remembered what life had been like before her best friend had become a recording artist. Remembered their simple routine - where Beca would get up before her and make her a cup of tea before going out to work, just as Chloe would make her dinner in time for Beca to get home from work. Their lives had been so simple. And they’d been through it  _together._

## I’ll be there, I’ll be there for you.  
I’ll be there, I’ll be there for you.  
Oh, I swear, I got enough love for two, ooh, ooh, ooh.  
You’ll never be alone, I’ll be there for you.

Her eyes found the photo-board that she’d compiled a few years ago. Photos that had been pinned over one another over time because there’d been so many that she had loved. And so many had featured mini-adventures she and Beca had been on when they’d afforded it. Like the trip to the Bronx Zoo, or that Easter Egg trail around Central Park. The train down to Boston. The bus trip up to Niagara Falls..

## When it’s Friday night and the drink don’t work the same,  
You’re alone with yourself and there’s no one else to blame.  
When you still can’t feel the rhythm of your heart,  
And you see your spirit fading in the dark.

God, she missed Beca so much when she was stuck in this studio apartment without her best friend. Beca had always managed to distract her in one way or another. Mostly because Chloe did what few people tended to do in life, and that was make the most of every minute she spent with Beca. Watching the way she worked from home, or spoke, or ate, or breathed. Chloe had  _adored_ Beca just as much back then as she did now. In fact, absence just made her heart grow fonder of the brunette.

## Oh, oh, I’ll be there.  
When you need a little love, I got a little love to share.  
Yeah, I’m gonna, I’m gonna, I’m gonna come through.  
You’ll never be alone, I’ll be there for you.  
I’ll be there, I’ll be there for you.  
I’ll be there, I’ll be there for you.  
Oh, I swear, I got enough love for two, ooh, ooh, ooh.  
You’ll never be alone, I’ll be there for you.

At least it was only six days until Beca would be travelling back over to Brooklyn from LA to spend the weekend with her. They didn’t kiss. But other than that they essentially acted like a couple: snuggling up on the couch together, spooning in bed, not being afraid to give each other flirty looks or smiles when out and about together. In two years time they would finally be able to kiss. To become  _official_.

## When you’re lost down the river bed, I’ll be there.  
When you’re lost in the darkness, I’ll be there.  
I’ll be there when you’re heart is breaking.  
You’ll never be alone, I’ll be there for you.  
I’ll be there.

Beca was her shining light. Gave her every bit of motivation to work hard at school. Chloe would count down the weeks before she got to see Beca again. The closer that time came it would turn into counting down the days. Until it came to three days when she would then count down the hours and minutes. She just  _loved_  seeing Beca and getting to be in her company. The woman who was now having to live life fairly dolled up would spend the two or three days she had with Chloe in nothing but sweatpants and big slobby jumpers with no make up on. And Chloe believed she was the most human being on the planet.

## I’ll be there, I’ll be there for you (I’ll be there).  
I’ll be there, I’ll be there for you (ooh, ooh, I’ll be there).  
Oh, I swear, I got enough love for two, ooh, ooh, ooh.  
You’ll never be alone, I’ll be there for you, oh.  
I’ll be there, I’ll be there for you.  
(I’ll be there when your tears are falling).  
I’ll be there, I’ll be there for you.  
(I’ll be there, can’t you hear me calling?).  
Oh, I swear, I got enough love for two, ooh, ooh, ooh.  
(I’ll be there when you’re heart is breaking).  
You’ll never be alone, I’ll be there for you, ooh.

Chloe brushed the tears from her cheeks as she smiled at the sound of Beca’s beautiful voice as the song began to come to a close. Her hand was already on her phone.

## I’ll be there for you, ooh.  
I’ll be there for you, ooh.  
You’ll never be alone, I’ll be there for you.  
I’ll be there for you, ooh.  
I’ll be there for you, ooh.  
You’ll never be alone, I’ll be there for you.

The song ended and Chloe immediately pulled the Beats from her ears, bringing her phone up to her ear instead.

“I love it!” she blubbed with a loud sniff, her smile still plastered over her face.

“And I love you.” Beca replied down the phone with a noticeable smile sounding through her voice. “It’s gonna all be okay Chloe.”

“I know.” Chloe said and let out a heavy sigh, “I just miss you.”

Beca seemed to let out a light chuckle, “I miss you too.” she responded, “But just think, only seven thousand, two hundred and…seventy five minutes until we’re reunited again.”

And Chloe couldn’t help the smile that grew on her face as she let out a light giggle. Because she loved it when Beca worked out how many minutes it was before they would be together again.


	10. Beca's Birthday (2021)

Beca had had the worst day of her music career yet. She’d been up until 2am the night before, in the recording studio, trying out different styles of a new song that had been written for her, but none of them had sounded right. She’d returned to her LA apartment and had slept through her alarm, meaning a member of staff from the record label had ended up banging on her door at 10am to get her up. And she’d accidentally swore twice during a radio interview this afternoon.

The brunette was close to tears, a very rare event that was for sure. But the woman was exhausted. She just wanted to escape from reality. To find a nice calm quiet place to curl up in. She wanted Chloe.

Beca let out a heavy heaving sob as she threw her head into her hands, her back against the wall of the elevator as it took her up to her apartment. She still had eight days of this shit before she had three clear days in her schedule that meant she could finally fly up to Davis to see Chloe.

Beca and Chloe were currently in an odd setup. Just over four years they had returned from their USO tour with the Bellas. Beca had been offered a recording contract and Chloe had been offered a place at a college over in Davis to study to become a Vet. A five year course. Chloe had asked Beca out on a date and Beca had said no. Purely because she didn’t want to distract Chloe from her studies. But she assured her that the moment Chloe graduated in five years time she’d love nothing more than to be able to date her.

So the two remained best friends. Closer than close. They spoke every day. They spent the holidays together. They went out for dinner. They shared a bed, and snuggled up together whenever they were reunited. Chloe was often Beca’s ‘plus one’ to award shows and parties. But they never kissed.

The problem was, the longer the time went on, the more impatient Beca was getting. Life had got busy and hectic. Beca was rolling from success to success, winning award after award, breaking record after record. But she didn’t care about all of that, because the only thing she wanted was Chloe. And she still had  _nine months_  to go before Chloe’s graduation.

The doors of the elevator pinged open and the brunette slowly shuffled out, looking down at her feet miserably, wishing she was walking into the apartment that she’d bought Chloe up in Davis. But this was the cool wooden flooring of her swish LA apartment instead. Nothing fancy.

She let out a sigh as she thought she could smell her best friend’s perfume. See, she missed Chloe that much she was even imagining how the woman smelt. But as she looked up to head for the kitchen her heart jumped into her throat.

There, stood before her, in a beautiful dress while motioning to a huge homemade birthday cake that stood on the island beside her, was Chloe. And the redhead’s smile immediately dropped the moment she realised Beca was crying. Because Beca rarely cried.

Beca’s body felt weak, overwhelmed with emotion, and she dropped her satchel to the ground so she could stride over to Chloe. She threw her outstretched arms around Chloe’s waist, letting out a heaving sigh followed by a loud sob into the woman’s chest and she squeezed her eyes closed as Chloe held her tight.

“Heyyy,” Chloe said in a worried tone, “what’s going on??”

“Nothing.” Beca mumbled into Chloe’s dress, the smell of the redhead’s perfume sending a warm safe rush over her body, “I just missed you so much and this week has been so shit and I just…”

A soft smile was on Chloe’s face as she continued holding onto Beca tight. She knew this feeling because she’d felt it too on so many occasions before. She was crazy about Beca. Was so in love with her. And she always found herself missing her whenever they were apart. A feeling that was made all the more difficult when other factors in life were stressful.

“…I just want to run away with you.” Beca added finally.

“I know…” Chloe said quietly, gently rocking Beca from side to side as she placed a kiss on the side of her head, “…but we’ve only got nine months left to go. Then we can run away.”

“It’s not running away if you plan it.” Beca mumbled into Chloe’s neck and the redhead let out a light giggle.

“True.” She peeled her arms from around her best friend’s petite body so the brunette could stand up a little straighter, “So I guess we just won’t plan it. We’ll just do it.”

“In the summer?”

“Yeah babe, in the summer.” Chloe said, bringing her hand up to affectionately curl Beca’s hair behind her ear. This was a common conversation they had. One of them was always the vulnerable one, desperate for them to forget the pact they’d made to wait until Chloe’s graduation, and the other was always the voice of reason, assuring them that there wasn’t much longer left to go.

“I love you.” Beca mumbled as she wound her arms back around Chloe’s body.

“I love you too.” Chloe whispered back, submerging her face into Beca’s long brown hair, a calm smile on her face. It had been a long five weeks apart, and she hated she only had the weekend to be able to spend curled up with her best friend. “Happy Birthday old lady..” she added affectionately and a chuckle fell out of Beca’s mouth, the younger woman gently pinching Chloe’s hip.

“Gee thanks..” Beca muttered, “I’ll always be younger than you.”

“True.” Chloe said with a light giggle, and the two continued to cuddle each other tight. And to Beca and Chloe it was the perfect way to spend Beca’s 30th Birthday.


	11. Aubrey's Call to Chloe (2022)

Aubrey tapped excitably on the edge of the table in the airport lounge cafe that she sat in. Beca had given her a  _very_  big responsibility. One that Aubrey had embraced with every fibre of her ‘organisation gene’. But at the end of the day she was still first and foremost one of Chloe’s best friends. Which was why she held her phone to her ear right now.

“Hey Bree!” She heard Chloe answer brightly and Aubrey smiled. The woman sounded happy. Good.

“Hey Chloe! I was just calling to see how you were feeling about tomorrow?” Aubrey said, trying to tone down her excitement even though she swore she could feel as though her heart was about to burst out of her chest. Because tomorrow was a  _huge_  day for Chloe. Not only was the woman finally graduating - becoming a fully qualified vet - but she was also finally going to have the chance to start dating Beca. The two women had agreed that neither would start officially dating until Chloe qualified. It had been a long five years, but the wait was almost over.

“Well I’ve graduated before so I’m not feeling too nervous actually..” Chloe said conversationally but Aubrey rolled her eyes.

“I meant about seeing Beca and you know it!”

Aubrey grinned as she heard her best friend giggle down the phone at her. For as long as Chloe and Aubrey had known Beca, Aubrey had known that Chloe had a huge crush on the petite brunette. So it had been an incredible 12 year wait for Chloe to get to this point in her relationship with Beca.

Initially, Aubrey had been one of the few Bellas that Beca and Chloe had trusted with their secret agreement of eventually dating one another. Until about three years ago when Beca had told the Bellas that she had something planned for Chloe’s 30th. Then at the end of that ‘plan’ (which had involved a terribly elaborate flash mob) Beca had kissed Chloe, and suddenly it was no secret to the rest of The Bellas that Beca and Chloe had every intention of dating one day.

As far as Aubrey was aware that kiss had been their one and only kiss in the 12 years that they’d known each other. She could only imagine how different that tally would be come the end of tomorrow..

“Well to say I’m excited about seeing Beca is an understatement.” Chloe said in an excitable voice and Aubrey could believe it. They’d really played the ‘slow burn’ card for far too long. They deserved these promised dates. These expected kisses..

“And..well as you’ve kinda been here for us since the beginning Bree i thought I’d tell you that..” Aubrey heard her best friend pause, taking a deep breath before adding quietly, “..I think I’m gonna propose to her. In the evening.”

“Oh..” was all that fell out of Aubrey’s mouth. She was stunned. And not because it seemed so soon - considering Beca and Chloe hasn’t even gone on an official first date together yet. No, Aubrey was stunned because she knew full well that it was  _Beca’s_  plan to propose to Chloe tomorrow evening too.

“I know it seems rushed, and that we’ll be on our first date when I do it but..” Chloe appeared to be flopping down on the bed she often shared with Beca in the studio apartment in Brooklyn that Beca rented for her while the brunette was away in LA for work, “I’m so in love with her and…well you said it yourself Bree, Beca and I have practically been in a romantic relationship for years now. We just..haven’t really done anything official! In my eyes I kinda see it as though we’ve been together ever since we made that agreement. And if I’m going by that then I think five years is plenty enough time to have waited to propose.”

“I-I..” Aubrey stuttered, a smile on her face as she heard her best friend sigh. Beca and Chloe were more made for each other than they would ever know. And the blonde loved it. “I honestly can’t think of anything better. I think it’s a great idea Chloe.”

“Honestly?”

“Honestly.”

“Okay,” Chloe said, and Aubrey could almost  _hear_  the smile in her best friend’s voice, “Well I’ll let you know how it goes.”

“Yes please!” Aubrey said excitably, “When does she get into New York?” She asked even though she knew the answer. She knew Beca got into New York in the morning because Beca had already briefed Aubrey with every single one of her movements over the next couple of days. She knew Beca had a meeting in LA today, then a TV performance tonight, and that she’d be getting into JFK tomorrow morning, making it over to Chloe’s graduation just in time. And Aubrey knew all this because Beca had asked her to help prepare the location that she planned on proposing to Chloe at. Ready for when they had arrived there after Chloe’s graduation. “Oh she doesn’t get here until the morning. She has a late TV performance tonight but she should get to my graduation tomorrow in time. I hope..”

“She’ll be there Chloe. It’s Beca.” Aubrey said in a confident voice.

“Bree?” Chloe asked in an uncharacteristically nervous voice, “what…what if she says no?”

And Aubrey smiled. Because there was no way in hell that Beca would ever say no to Chloe’s proposal, especially as she was going to propose herself!

“I can promise you one thing for sure Chloe Beale, and that is that there is no way Beca would  _ever_  say no to you.”

“Um..in case you’re forgetting, she said no when I asked her out after our USO tour..” Chloe added awkwardly, but Aubrey rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, and then she promised you that she’d go out with you as soon as you finished Vet School!”

The two women fell silent for a moment and Aubrey looked at her watch. She had just under an hour before her flight up to New York. Beca had booked her amazing seats and a very swish hotel in NYC - mostly as a thank you for the hard work she was about to do for her and Chloe.

“It’s all gonna be alright Chloe.” Aubrey said in a calm and reassuring voice, “I promise.”


	12. Chloe's Graduation/Finally (2022)

Beca Mitchell sat in the huge hall, a tiny person among a massive crowd of people. Most of them parents of the children they were about to see walk up onto the stage in front of them. She was excited, and so VERY proud. It had been a long five years (possibly the longest of Beca’s life) but she was finally here. The day had finally come.

Fortunately the surnames were read out in alphabetical order and Beca sat up straight, her heart swelling with pride, a massive grin on her face as she looked to the stage and heard “Chloe Beale” being called out over the microphone.

Beca clapped harder and louder than anybody else in that room (which was saying something), letting out a loud ‘whoop’ as she saw her best friend striding up onto the stage dressed in her gown and mortarboard. The woman looked stunning, her long red hair having been fashioned to perfection, and a beautiful blue dress poked out from under her gown. And Beca felt her stomach twist with nerves and excitement as she watched her walk off the stage with a bright smile.

Because five years ago, when they had left their USO tour and returned to their pokey little studio apartment, Beca having just signed a recording contract and Chloe having just received news she’d got into vet school, Chloe had asked Beca if she would go out on a date with her. And Beca had said no.

Naturally the redhead had been heartbroken, but Beca had quickly taken Chloe’s hands, insisting that although she’d  _love_  to go on a date with her, she didn’t want to distract her from her studies after Chloe had worked so hard to get into vet school. So instead Beca had promised Chloe that she would wait out the five years it would take for the redhead to qualify. And if, by the time her graduation came around, Chloe still wanted to go on a date with Beca, then Beca would  _absolutely_  go on at date with her.

A half hour later and Beca swam her way between all the proud parents who had watched their children graduate. She eventually found Chloe, stood on her own, nervously fiddling with her mortarboard in her hands, looking out for someone. For  _her_.

The second Chloe spied her, Beca saw the woman’s eyes light up, her beaming smile still as bright as the day they’d first met twelve years ago. And Beca couldn’t help the goofy grin that washed over her face as she sped up and threw herself into Chloe’s arms.

“I’m  _so_  proud of you Chlo!!” Beca mumbled into Chloe’s ear, and she heard Chloe giggle.

“I couldn’t have done it without you!” Chloe replied. Which was very true. Both financially and emotionally Beca had supported Chloe throughout college, even though the brunette had been away at times in LA and on a national tour and a global tour.

As the two women pulled out of their hug, they kept their arms around each other, and Beca smiled, “So, are you still wanting that date or…?”

And Beca let out a chuckle, her sentence being cut off by Chloe’s lips, the redhead having dived in for a huge kiss. Both relieved that she had  _finally_ graduated so they could start dating.


	13. Proposals (2022)

There was a loud grunt that fell from the back of Chloe’s throat as she was pushed back against a wall, halfway up the apartment block stairs that led up to the tiny studio apartment she called home. Her eyes were closed, her breath was loud as air escaped through her nose, and her arms were wrapped tightly around her best friend’s waist while Beca’s lips kissed her lips hungrily.

They had waited five long years to do this. To finally have a chance to kiss one another. To finally be together. Chloe had graduated little over an hour ago and they had jumped in Beca’s private car as soon as they possibly could, Beca’s driver taking them back to the little apartment on Verona Street so Beca could “quickly pick something up”. The thing was, it had already taken them ten minutes to get this far up the stairs, the two women taking it in turns to pull one another to the side with a giggle and kiss each other silly.

“I can’t…tell you…” Chloe mumbled against Beca’s lips between kisses, “…how many times…I wanted…to do this…with you…over the years.” and she felt the brunette let out a light hmm of agreement while smiling against her lips, their mouth’s reconnecting forcefully, both desperate for one another’s touch even though they already had it.

A few moments later Beca broke the kiss, grinned at Chloe, then grabbed her hand and tugging her up the rest of the stairs with a whispered, “Come on!” And Chloe followed with a giddy giggle, holding Beca’s right hand with both of hers. As they approached the door of the stuffy little studio apartment that they had first moved into seven and a bit years ago, Chloe pulled her key out of the discreet pocket she had in her dress.

“I promise I won’t be long.” Chloe heard her girlfriend(?) say behind her as the redhead slid the key into the lock, “Then we can start our date properly.”

But Chloe let out a light giggle as she turned the key, “Honestly Beca, we could spend the rest of the day in this apartment and I wouldn’t mind. As long as we’re to-“

The thirty two year old froze as she stepped into the apartment, the end of her sentence becoming a whispered “-gether…” and her mouth hung open in shock. Because the apartment wasn’t how she’d left it this morning.

No yoga mat to her right by the windows - instead the old fold-out bed that she and Beca had shared for the first two years that they’d lived in the apartment stood there. The blinds above the windows were now  _exactly_  the same as the ones had been during that time, along with the ornaments on the shelves and pictures on the walls.

Chloe’s eyes trailed around to the blackboard, noting that her shopping list was now rubbed off and an old ‘ _Beca don’t forget to buy nachos + salsa’_ message was re-written on there in chalk. The fridge magnets were just how they’d been arranged five years ago. The photos on there were the same. Even Fat Amy’s ‘Fat Amy Winehouse’ wig was on the side of the dresser that was next to the double bed that Chloe had been sleeping in alone for the past five years. And that bed was dressed with bedcovers that looked uncannily like the bedcovers Fat Amy had once had on there when they’d all lived together. The kitchen had the same old tiny coffee machine, the same old mugs, the same old dishes…it was like they’d stepped back in time!

“Wha-?” Chloe choked out in shock, turning on the spot to look at her best friend. But Beca was stood in the doorway still, biting her bottom lip with a small smile. Chloe didn’t know what was going on. Didn’t know what to think or do. So she shook her head slowly, a small smile also creeping onto her face, “What  _is_  all this?”

She watched as Beca stepped into the tiny studio apartment, “I swear it’s been the longest five years of my life,” Beca said as she closed the door behind her, “but it’s also been the best five years of my life.” Chloe could feel her heart racing a little as she watched her best friend step up to her and take her by the arms. Beca didn’t look like she needed to pick something up in here after all.

“Now, I can’t tell you how guilty I’ve felt over the years since saying “No” to you.” Beca continued while she began guiding Chloe backwards over to the kitchen, the redhead gently gripping Beca’s elbows for support, not breaking eye contact with her once, “So I figured, as it’s almost exactly five years since I made you that huge promise,” Beca stopped guiding Chloe so the redhead was now stood in front of their little old coffee machine, just as she had been back then, “I thought I’d give you the opportunity to ask me the question again.”

Chloe took a deep breath, tears beginning to build in her eyes and she sniffed loudly, clearing her throat so she could turn her smile into a softer, slightly more serious expression. Her bright blue eyes ran over Beca’s face. From her deep blue eyes, to the light freckles that tended to appear around this time of year across the bridge of her nose, to her perfect lips that Chloe had adored kissing over the past hour. Her eyes honed in on the studs that ran up both Beca’s left and right ears - the studs she’d once told Beca she loved seeing her wear. And she loved the way her best friend had decided to keep her long brown hair down in loose waves, exactly how Chloe loved it. Beca had clearly done all of this for her. And she felt like the luckiest woman in the world.

“Beca…” Chloe began, pausing to let out a breath of nervous air. She had no need to be nervous. They’d told each other on numerous occasions in the past that they were intending on spending the rest of their lives with each other. “…did you want to go out on a date with me?”

“No.” Beca said quickly, and Chloe furrowed her brow in confusion. Confusion that quickly disappeared when the brunette let out a loud chuckle, a massive grin sweeping over her face as she reached out and took Chloe’s hands, “I’m kidding! I’m kidding. Sorry.” Chloe rolled her eyes, letting out a small tut while Beca let go of her hands with a cheeky grin, “Do it again. Sorry. Ask the question.”

Chloe let out another nervous sigh and made a decision, clearing her throat, then looking at her best friend with an affectionate smile, “Beca will you marry me?” she asked in a soft voice.

“Y-…wait, what?” Beca said, her eyebrows raising, her smile immediately dropping. But Chloe wanted this. And she knew Beca wanted this too. At some point, yeah. But why wait another five years?

“Will you marry me.” Chloe repeated, her smile still soft while she looked over at her best friend. The woman she’d fallen in love with twelve years ago. The woman who she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. The redhead began pushing her hand into the discreet pocket in her beautiful graduation dress, her fingers enclosing around an engagement ring that she’d been saving up for over the past three years. She’d had every intention of proposing to Beca today. Now seemed as perfect a time as any. Even though Beca looked somewhat stunned.

The brunette reached out, quickly placing her hand on Chloe’s hand that was in her dress pocket, “Wait. Dude. I…”

She wasn’t saying yes.  _Why_  wasn’t she saying yes? Chloe let go of the ring and pulled her hand out of her pocket as she looked into Beca’s eyes, trying to read her thoughts.

“This…I organised all this because  _I_  was gonna propose to  _you_!” Beca burst out in a slightly panicked tone, her cheeks flushing pink.

“You were?”

“Yeah. I had Aubrey refurb the whole apartment today while you were out just so we could rewrite history a little.”

And a broad smile grew over Chloe’s face. Beca had got  _Aubrey_  involved??

She looked down at Beca’s hands and realised the brunette was delving her left hand into her pants pocket. Her heart skipped a beat as the woman pulled out a small ring box. This was it. The moment she’d dreamt of for years. It was finally happening!

“Please, let me just…” Beca begged slightly, and Chloe smiled affectionately at her best friend, a tear rolling down her cheek as she gently nodded. She knew how freaked out Beca sometimes got when something unexpected happened. It was one of the few side effects of her anxiety. A side effect that had heightened since becoming a recording artist five years ago.

So Beca took a deep shaky breath, tears building in her own eyes as she opened the box and bent down on one knee. Chloe looked down at her best friend as Beca looked up at her adoringly, “Chloe Anne Beale. You are…my very best friend…and…” Chloe’s heart soared as she watched the brunette hang her head with a loud sigh, then sniffing loudly with a small chuckle, “…God I never imagined I’d cry…” she mumbled and Chloe giggled, another tear rolling down her cheek as she watched Beca clear her throat and look back up at her.

Tears had begun to roll down Beca’s cheeks while she looked at Chloe affectionately, “…You’re my very best friend and I’m so…in love…with you…” Beca paused to let out a sob, one that Chloe echoed as tears rolled down her own cheeks, “…and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Beca croaked out in a broken voice, her tears affecting the flow of her words as she let out a loud sniff, smiling up at her best friend, “Chloe will you marry me?”

“Yes!” Chloe burst out with a broad grin, tears falling from her eyes as she reached her hands down to cup Beca’s cheeks while the brunette stood up. The two best friends kissed each other passionately, the tears that had fallen down their faces now pooling around their mouths, adding to the sensuality of the meaningful kiss. “Yes” Chloe said again, this time mumbling against Beca’s lips, loving the way Beca was smiling as brightly as she was.

They parted and Beca pulled the beautiful engagement ring out of the box and slid it onto Chloe’s finger. It fit perfectly, and the two women let out soft giggles, sniffing sweetly as they rested their foreheads against each other’s and held hands.

“Can I propose to you now?” Chloe asked with a grin. Beca let out a chuckle, sniffing again as they parted, and she nodded gently, sweeping her tongue over her bottom lip, collecting the pool of tears that had gathered there.

Chloe delved back into her pocket, this time capturing the ring in her hand with ease and pulling it out, “Now I know this ring isn’t anywhere near as amazing or expensive as this beauty you got me here..” Chloe warned motioning to the beautiful engagement ring Beca had got her, then holding up between her index finger and thumb the little engagement ring she’d bought for Beca, “..but know that this took me weeks to pick out!” Chloe said with raised eyebrows and an embarrassed grin which, to her relief, only made Beca chuckle.

“Hey, the fact that it’s from you is all that matters to me.” Beca said kindly, shuffling her feet slightly to try to prepare herself for the momentous occasion.

Chloe cleared her throat then got down on one knee, holding the ring out to Beca as she looked up at her best friend, “Beca Mitchell, the first time I saw you I knew. What exactly, I don’t know, but I had this feeling in my heart, as though my soul saw your soul and they kinda recognised each other. Like they knew we were meant to be together. Somehow. Someday…” Chloe was impressively keeping her words more composed than Beca, the redhead clearly having got the crying out of her system moments earlier, “When we moved into this tiny studio apartment seven years ago I had only ever dreamt that you’d one day fall in love with me. And five years ago that dream became a reality.”

Tears began to roll down Chloe’s cheeks again, mirroring the ones falling down Beca’s, and the two best friends looked into each other’s eyes with so much love and adoration, “You are my very best friend. The love of my life. And the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with…Will you marry me?”

And a massive smile grew on Chloe’s face as Beca blubbed, “Of course I will!” before reaching down to tug Chloe back up to her feet. They kissed passionately once again, their tears mixing between their lips while they sniffed, and kissed, and giggled happily.

As they parted Chloe slid the ring on Beca’s finger, relieved that it fit perfectly, and they beamed at one another while looking into each other’s eyes.

“I love you.” Chloe whispered, tracing her fingers through Beca’s long brown hair and Beca reached her hand up to cup Chloe’s cheek affectionately.

“I love you too.”


	14. Verona (2027)

Beca held her breath, laying quietly on the edge of the stiff bed. There were crisp bedsheets beneath her body and there was a weird ‘over-clean’ smell in the small room she was sat in. But she didn’t care. How could she  _possibly_ care about anything else than the tiny thing that lay snoozing peacefully in her wife’s arms beside her.

“I’m so proud of you.” Beca mumbled bringing her lips gently over to her wife’s exhausted face and placed an affectionate kiss on her cheek. She heard a content hum sound from the back of Chloe’s throat, the redhead having not dropped her smile from the second their newborn had been placed in her arms around an hour ago.

“I can’t believe we finally have a baby.” Chloe whispered, leaning into Beca’s body a little more, and the two women let out content sighs as they looked down at their beautiful healthy daughter. Their first born.

“Yeah me either.” Beca whispered back, not tearing her eyes from the little human that held her genes, but had been grown and nurtured and birthed brilliantly by her wife. The woman she adored. The woman she’d been in love with since they’d graduated from Barden University around twelve years ago.

They’d had a weird couple of years post-graduation, where they’d shared a studio apartment with Amy and had  _had_  to share a fold out bed with each other because the Australian had  _insisted_  on having the double bed to herself. And both Beca & Chloe had harboured huge deep romantic feelings for one another during that time, but hadn’t dared tell each other. Then they’d gone on that USO tour and Beca had got that record deal and Chloe had got into Vet School and they’d both individually prepared themselves to say goodbye to one another when, out of the blue, Chloe had asked Beca out. Beca had said “no”, but only because she hadn’t wanted to distract Chloe from her studies.

So they’d ended up agreeing that once Chloe had completed her five year Veterinary degree, they would start dating. And they did. Well, for a few hours. Until Beca had proposed to Chloe and Chloe had done the same and they’d both got married a few weeks later before Beca embarked on her world tour which Chloe, for the most part, joined her for. (“The most unique of honeymoons!” As Chloe had always dubbed it.)

The five years following that had been tough. They’d tried and tried to conceive using a donor, Chloe having insisted that she’d wanted to carry Beca’s child some how, and Beca had been all too happy to provide her eggs. But they’d suffered several failed attempts and two miscarriages. It had been the  _worst_. But had also made the couple’s relationship stronger than it ever had been before.

It had been a long nine months. But they’d finally come out the other side. And here was the beautiful, perfect result. Their gorgeous baby girl.

Baby Mitchell let out a yawn and a tiny squeak escaped her little mouth while her perfect little nose wrinkled up, and her mother’s both lightly giggled and cooed at her. Beca’s heart felt so full of love and affection and protection for this tiny thing.  _Their_  tiny thing. Because they’d been weary when they’d gone to one of the leading conception doctors and he’d suggested a method that could include a bit of both their DNA and just the tiny important parts of the sperm donor’s. But with nothing else to lose and money being no object for the wealth couple, they’d agreed to be part of the trial. And it had worked!

“I’m gonna admit, I’ve never felt love like this before..” Beca said quietly, bringing her finger out to delicately stroke the tip across their daughter’s little chubby cheek.

“Me either..” Chloe whispered affectionately, and they both let out gentle giggles as a tiny smile grew across their baby’s face at her Mama’s touch. Beca’s eyes drew away from their daughter’s face over to the rings on her wedding finger, and she brought her left hand down to join her wife’s left hand, their fingers entwining, resting beside the newborn.

The room fell silent once again, the two new mothers relishing in the beautiful sound of their baby’s delicate breathing. And after several minutes, Chloe broke the silence by taking a deep breath then pausing, before finally whispering, “Any thoughts on a name?”

She turned her head slightly to look at her wife, surprised to see a small smile grow on Beca’s face. And Beca took a deep breath then replied, “What about ‘Verona’?”

“Verona?” Chloe asked curiously, not hating the suggestion in the slightest. Her heart skipped a beat as her wife shrugged, looking over at her with a soft smile.

“Yeah. Our crappy little apartment on Verona Street was when we realised we both liked each other. Where you asked me out-“

“-and where you said no…” Chloe added with a soft smile on her face, remembering initially how heartbroken she’d been ten years ago when the woman she’d been secretly pining for had declined her offer. Beca let out a small sharp breath of air through her nose as a form of quiet chuckle. She still felt a little bad about that. But it had been the right decision. Because Chloe had excelled in college and had been top of her class.

“Exactly,” Beca said quietly, affectionately, looking into her wife’s eyes, “Verona Street was where it happened. Our first time sharing a bed together, even though it was just as friends. The place where I’d thought to myself time and time again how beautiful you were and how crazy-stupidly in love with you I was. Verona Street was where I found out that you take your socks off in bed overnight, and that you have a slice of lemon in your herbal tea but  _only_  before 7am.” Chloe let out a light giggle, tears forming in her eyes because she  _loved_  it when her wife was affectionate like this. “Plus Verona is the name of the place where Romeo & Juliet was set. One of the most famous love stories ever.”

Chloe couldn’t help the smile on her face. No matter how exhausted she felt there was something about her wife that always gave her an extra boost of energy. An extra boost of hope. An extra dose of love.

“I like that…” Chloe whispered affectionately.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

And the two new mothers turned to look down at their newborn daughter, soft smiles on their faces.

“Verona Mitchell..” Chloe said sweetly. Yeah, it had a good ring to it. It was unique. And had a good story behind it.

“Vee for short.” Beca confirmed with a gentle smile and Chloe let out a light giggle.

“Named after the street that your Mama and I lived on when we were young.” Chloe said to their daughter, almost wistfully, “In that horrible crappy beautiful tiny apartment..”

Chloe looked back at her wife, and Beca looked from their daughter to her, calm smiles on both their faces.

“I wouldn’t change any of it for the world.” Beca said affectionately.

“Me either.” Chloe replied with as much affection as her wife had had.

And the two women gently kissed before looking back down at their newborn daughter. Verona “Vee” Mitchell.


	15. Birthday Party (2034)

Beca Mitchell stood at the edge of the large noisy room, looking out at the people around her with a soft smile on her face. Everyone who meant something to her and her wife - or more specifically, to their daughter - was here. And they were all here to help celebrate little Verona Mitchell’s seventh birthday.

Back when Beca and Chloe had been in their mid-late twenties they had both promised one another that once Chloe had completed her veterinary training they would begin dating. It had been a long five years for them and in that time they had learnt that nothing could possibly come between them. Because they were madly in love with one another and had proved their love when Chloe’s graduation had finally arrived and both had quickly proposed to one another, vowing to love and protect one another and stay true to each other no matter what life threw their way. They had both believed that so long as they were together, they could face any challenge.

It had turned out their biggest challenge had come shortly after, when they had both agreed to start trying for a baby via IVF treatment. Beca had kept providing eggs to be fertilised and Chloe had kept trying to carry them. It kept failing and Chloe had even suffered a couple of miscarriages, much to the couple’s utter heartbreak. It had been a total of five years of suffering until one day Chloe had successfully fallen pregnant and…the pregnancy had actually been relatively smooth!

All except for one short moment around month three of the pregnancy, when Chloe had caught a virus. She’d visited the doctor and had been assured that with the medication provided she would soon feel better again, but it had also been noted that the particular virus Chloe had caught was another strain of a virus she had had back in college. The virus that had caused her nodes to become infected and as a consequence had meant she’d had to have them removed in her senior year. The virus back then had been a strain of ‘Cytomegalovirus’ or ‘CMV’.

Chloe & Beca had both learnt from the doctor that once a person had contracted CMV it would lay dormant in their body, but pregnancy often had a chance of reactivating the virus if the mother’s immune system became weak. That specific occurence had happened and both Beca & Chloe had been somewhat concerned to hear that as Chloe had contracted another strain of CMV - specifically  _Congenital CMV_  - there was every chance of the virus affecting their unborn child. 

The couple had gone home and had chatted and had cried and had chatted some more. The worst case scenario would’ve been that their baby would be born severely disabled - either physically or mentally or both - or that one of their baby’s senses would be impaired - most likely their hearing. In the end Beca & Chloe had both concluded that they wanted to continue with the pregnancy, and that any adjustments to their life or routine that needed to make would be made. Because they’d wanted a baby for so long. And they would love their child no matter what.

Verona had been miraculously born a healthy and content baby and even in following hearing tests over the first couple of months of her life she had passed with flying colours. The mothers had been over the moon with relief. 

Then around six months later, when Verona had almost reached nine months old, Chloe had noticed that their daughter didn’t always respond to her name when they called it if they were ever on her right hand side. Beca had wondered what her wife had been talking about, after all Vee had seemed to respond to her just fine, until the mothers worked out that it was because Beca was usually sat to Verona’s left.

A trip to the paediatrician and one short hearing test later and The Mitchell’s found out that their daughter had become completely deaf in her right ear and partially deaf in her left - something they were told was quite common in babies whose mother had had  _Congenital CMV_ during the pregnancy. They had driven home in stunned silence, their world initially turned upside down. But when Beca and Chloe had put their daughter to bed in her little cot as they did together most nights (unless Beca was away for work), Verona had smiled up at them while they’d sang her to sleep. And that had been the moment both Beca and Chloe Mitchell had agreed that their world would be a little different than they’d originally expected it to be, yes. But that didn’t mean it would be the end of the world in the slightest. They would just have to adjust things a little.

Beca smiled as she watched her daughter running around in a large circle, chasing her little friends while she giggled loudly. Vee’s happiness had always been Beca and Chloe’s upmost priority. After the child’s diagnosis, they had quickly begun delving their attentions into books and online forums that had been specifically created for parents with children who were hard of hearing. There the couple had learnt that singing was a brilliant form of communication for young children who were HoH because they were still able to appreciate rhythm and tone - a perfect thing for the mothers who both prided themselves in being good singers, Beca having made a career out of it.

Verona ran straight into the arms of Fat Amy, who had been sat on the floor ready for her favourite Goddaughter to reach her. The Australian tumbled back onto the floor with a large laugh and the seven year old joined her Godmother in giggling loudly.  _They_  were joined by several other ‘Barden Bellas kids’, all of whom bundled on top of them. And Beca chuckled as she heard Stacie, Aubrey, Jessica, Flo, and Emily all telling their respective children to “be careful with Auntie Amy!”

The Bellas had been Beca and Chloe’s saving grace over the years that they discovered what it was like to raise a child who was HoH in a hearing world. Beca remembered how nervous she’d felt attending a local ‘sign language’ class with Chloe (and Verona who had been snuggled up happily in the baby sling wrapped around her wife’s body), that was aimed specifically at parents with young children. Nerves that quickly dissipated when she’d turned to look at the door to find  _all_ of The Bellas entering the classroom and joining them.

_“You thought we’d let you go through all this alone, Mitchell’s?” Fat Amy said with a look of disbelief on her face as she looked at Beca and Chloe while taking the seat just behind them._

_“Yeah, no way.” Cynthia-Rose agreed, taking a seat alongside Flo and Lilly, with her two young sons - .  
_

_“We treat each member of our Bellas family with equal love and dedication.” Aubrey said firmly, taking a seat beside her two year old son - Toby - who sat beside eleven year old Bella, who sat beside Stacie.  
_

_“Yeah totes.” Emily had said with a firm nod, trying to calm her three sons - Ben, Tommy, and Cory - who were busy bouncing excitably on their seats, clearly excited to be sat in ‘grown up seats’, “If we’re all going to chat to Verona while she grows up, we’re going to need to learn this stuff!”  
_

_“And what better way than to learn it together, right?” Ashley added, having joined her own wife and daughter - Eloise - at the back of the group.  
_

_Beca was speechless, and she turned to Chloe who was busy looking at The Bellas with tears in her eyes. This truly was going above and beyond. And it reminded Beca that the three of them were never alone. Not as long as they had their family with them. Their Bellas._

_“Well,” the sign language instructor said with an impressed expression on her face, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a good turn out for one child before! Verona’s a very lucky girl.” and Beca couldn’t agree with her more. Her daughter WAS very lucky indeed._

While The Bellas and their offspring had been every bit the perfect ‘family support’ for Beca, Chloe and Verona Mitchell, Beca’s father on the other hand had been very much the opposite. Her eyes drifted over to see him sat miserably in the corner of the room, his arms folded. He had been forced to come here by his wife - Beca’s step mother - she knew he had. They’d had a lot of ups and downs during Beca’s teenage years and her twenties. Now in her thirties and with a young child who had a disability, Beca felt a larger strain in the relationship she had with her father. 

The man had very little patience which had infuriated both Beca and Verona over the years. The mother would find herself arguing with the man, telling him off for never repeating himself whenever his granddaughter asked him to. Beca would also get annoyed with him for not looking at her daughter whenever he was talking to her, knowing full well that Verona could better understood what someone was saying to her if she could see their lips. But the man hadn’t changed his attitude or effort, just as he still refused to trim his facial hair so the seven year old could read his lips better.

Beca and Chloe had discovered that when within an environment that was noisy, their daughter tended to become tired. The little girl’s inability to hear in full often meant that Verona concentrated hard on picking out who might be talking to her directly and she would become frustrated as the time went on. She would often complain that her hearing aids gave her a headache and she didn’t really like wearing them. Fortunately for the seven year old, everyone at the party today knew how to sign, and so she didn’t need to wear them. 

Beca grinned as she watched her daughter’s best friend - Toby Conrad - helping her up from the bundle, then begin to sign Verona about how they should go over to ask her Mom when they could have some cake. Verona had signed back with a big grin that it was “a great idea!” and the two kids dashed across the room to find Chloe.

Chloe Mitchell had become fully accustomed to being the mother of a child who was hard of hearing. She had embraced all courses that were available to her, contributed to online forums, providing advice for new mothers to the HoH community, as well as reaching out to other families within that particular community that lived nearby, to set up events and play-dates for all of them and herself and Verona. Beca had been impressed with how accepting the HoH community had been, loving that it was an environment filled with kindness, patience and understanding. Beca had wanted that for her wife, particularly during times when Chloe had moments of low mood and blamed herself for their daughter’s disability.

Beca had spent many an evening over the years with her arms wrapped tight around Chloe’s body while her wife bawled into her chest. Chloe blamed herself a lot for having become so weak that she’d caught the virus in the first place. Both in college then later on while pregnant with Verona. And Beca had always reassured her that their daughter was happy and healthy and that her lack of hearing only made her more unique.

The brunette had used her own public status for the good of her daughter’s disability, openly talking about it in TV and magazine interviews. Beca’s theory was the more people who knew about it, and the more parents who knew that they weren’t alone, then the more accepted it would become. And she couldn’t count the amount of thank you cards and letters she received from parents and grown ups who lived within the deaf and HoH community, thanking her for sharing her experiences.

In one of those letters, Beca had been fascinated to find out from a deaf Australian fan that butterflies were in fact also deaf. As an act of solidarity for one another, the deaf community, and their daughter, Beca and Chloe had a small tattoo of a butterfly tattooed just behind their right ears, matching one another and symbolising the deafness their daughter had in her own right ear.

Beca smiled softly as she watched her daughter reach up to her wife’s dress and give it a gentle tug to gain her attention. Chloe turned from the conversation she was having with Aubrey to look down at the little brunette, smiling brightly as her daughter signed excitably up at her.

“Can we have cake yet Mommy?” Verona signed, and Chloe looked up and over at Beca who was stood beside said cake. Chloe raised her eyebrows that Beca just knew meant she was seeing what she thought. 

And Beca simply signed across the room, “I think we should let them have cake.”

The brunette chuckled as she watched her wife sign down to their daughter, “Yes, lets go and get Mama to cut the cake!”

Verona threw her hands into the air with a loud cry of delight, then reached out to grab Toby’s arm - the little boy busily signing and talking to his mother who was signing and talking back to him.

“Toby, we can go and ask my Ma to cut the cake!” Verona signed excitably once Toby had turned to look at her.

Beca let out another chuckle as she watched the two children scramble across the room. “Okay, okay.” Beca signed before raising her hands in surrender, then adding in sign, “I’ll cut the cake, but we need to do candles first.” 

Within three minutes, Beca stood behind the cake with her arm around her wife’s waist, their daughter stood on a little step in front of the cake, staring down at the seven candles that were now burning away. And the only noise in the room were the adults and children all singing “Happy Birthday” to Verona, whilst signing the lyrics too.

The two Mitchell mothers signed and sang, looking from The Bellas and their children, to each other, then down to their daughter, feeling blessed to be sharing this special moment with the people they loved. Once Chloe had placed a gentle hand on Vee’s shoulder, the little girl took this as an indication that she could blow out her candles, and the seven year old squeezed her eyes shut and blew out her candles.

Loud clapping erupted around the room and Beca & Chloe shared a quick kiss before looking down at their daughter and signing to her that they would finally cut the cake up and hand it out. And Verona simply grinned brightly up at her mothers. 

She truly was the happiest, most luckiest girl. And neither Beca nor Chloe would change her for the world.


End file.
